Brazil Competitor FAQs

The Brazil World Coffee Championships are getting closer! There’s still some time before competitors begin packing their bags—make sure to check out some answers to Brazil competitor FAQs on the competition experience, rules, and more. We have also put together some hospitality information here, including some important information on transport, visas, and vaccinations. If you have a question you would like included, please email [email protected].

A: The overview schedule for competitors is available here. The first item that all competitors should plan on attending is Competitor Orientation. This is mandatory, and competitors who do not attend will be disqualified. The timings for each vary by competition, but will all take place at the show venue.

A: You can find information on the provided Qualified Equipment in each of the championship rule sections below. Further information on sponsored equipment, and ingredients will be available closer to the event.

A: Most countries do not require a visa, however there are some notable exceptions including the US, Australia, Canada, China, and Japan. If you do require a visa, we recommend that you begin the application process as soon as possible. You can find more information about the application process at the Brazil Ministry of Foreign Affairs website.

A: Each competitor will be able to collect a pre-registered badge for show entry on-site. If you provided a coach name when you registered, your coach’s badge will also be available at the show entry. Additional badges can be purchased online.

A: Backstage access is for the competitor, coach, and one helper/translator. Each team will be allowed a total of three people (including competitor) backstage. Any teams found in violation of this may be subject to disqualification.

A: Yes—San Remo will be organising the pre-practice area at Atilla Roaster Lab, which will be available to WLAC and WCIGS competitors from November 3-5. All registered of those competitions will be offered a slot in advance. Inquiries about bookings can be made directly with the organiser by contacting [email protected].

A: You can find coffee accessories at Oficina do Espresso , and more general restaurant/bar items in Limão Distribuidora. Mercado Central de Belo Horizonte and Supermercados Verde mar are good options for finding accessories.

A: The official voltage in Belo Horizonte and most south westerly states is 127V @ 60Hz. Some commercial facilities such as hotels also offer 220V @ 60 Hz. You can find the lower voltage in white sockets, with 220V in red sockets. The official socket is type N, but you might also come across type C. The details around provided power at the competition are as follows:

• all supplied grinders (and grinder plugs) will be 220v

• each competition station (practice and stage) will have a 220v and a 120v socket, marked differently so that competitors can choose which one to use.

A: The provided milk will be Natural Milk from Itambé, a whole UHT milk from the Sekita farm. From milking to bottling, the production process takes 24 hours, which guarantees more freshness without using stabilisers.

A: The WCIGS Spirit Bar round will be held at a different venue from the main championships—at Café 104, in the center of Belo Horizonte. The round will take place from 18:00-22:00 on Wednesday November 7th .

Spirit Bar: The available spirits are: Chivas Regal 12 year Blended Scotch Whiskey, Beefeater London Dry Gin, or Gouveia Brasil 44 Cachaça. Each competitor will roll a dice, to randomly select one of the three alcohols above for their drinks at the Spirit Bar. (See rule 3.2 for more details). The competitor must also incorporate a DaVinci syrup of their choice into their beverage. A full list of syrups is available above.

Stage Performance: The competitor must use Gouveia Brasil 44 Cachaça in both the hot and cold drinks in this round.

Final Round: All competitors must use Chivas 12 for the Irish Coffee. The second alcohol-based beverage does not have a sponsored alcohol requirement this year.